Covid-19 Impact: Now, travel from home virtually

NEW DELHI: From live meditation sessions with Buddhist monks to virtual visits to see the dogs of Chernobyl to cooking with a Moroccan family and a 360° tour of Monaco, sightseeing is now online and tourism and hospitality service providers are doing what they can to keep travellers and key patrons engaged during the ongoing lockdown.Sensing a long-term lull in overseas travel, the Ministry of Tourism launched ‘Dekho Apna Desh’, a webinar series hosted by experts who will share key nuggets and information on destinations like Varanasi, Pondicherry, Ladakh, Kolkata and Lucknow. An official said the ministry would increasingly focus on building interest around key domestic destinations going forward this year.A virtual heritage webinar around the French quarter of Pondicherry was organised by the ministry on Sunday.Amanpreet Bajaj, the country manager for Airbnb in India, said a list of 50 experiences by Airbnb, which included the Chernobyl experience and Buddhist meditation, had been curated to offer a collection of activities that would enable people to “travel from home”. "This has seen a good demand from guests in India and interest from potential hosts in India," he added.A travel industry executive said virtual reality in travel was trending because of the Covid-19 pandemic and the uncertainty around the ongoing lockdown. 75398256Monaco’s Tourist and Convention Authority wants to keep in touch with travellers through a 360° virtual tour of the principality of Monaco and the oceanographic museum, while Abu Dhabi's culture and tourism department announced on Sunday the launch of its new virtual exploration platform, #StayCurious, which it said would provide audiences worldwide a taste of the emirate’s hospitality.Saood Al Hosani, acting undersecretary at the Department of Culture and Tourism, said Abu Dhabi had always been known for its unrivalled hospitality. "And despite the physical distance between us, we are looking forward to welcoming virtual visitors to the heart of our city and our culture through this innovative experience; and perhaps this will open the door for them to come and experience it in person in the future," he added.Back home, hotel chains like Accor, ITC Hotels and Radisson Hotel Group are servicing customers through live cooking sessions with their master chefs or sessions on housekeeping and health and wellness with their service experts.

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